Langer takes 8-shot lead at Senior Open

BRIDGEND, Wales -- Bernhard Langer stretched his lead to eight strokes Saturday in the Senior British Open, shooting a 3-under 68 at Royal Porthcawl to reach 14-under 199.

The 56-year-old German matched the Champions Tour record for the largest 54-hole lead in a 72-hole event set by Jack Nicklaus in the 1991 Senior PGA. At 14 under, Langer also tied the tournament 54-hole record set by Carl Mason at 14-under 196 in 2003 at Turnberry.

After opening with rounds of 65 and 66 to open a seven-stroke lead, Langer had four birdies and a bogey in the round. He settled for a birdie on the par-5 18th after missing an eagle chance from 10 feet. He dropped his only shot on the par-4 10th.

"I played very nicely, got off to a good start," Langer said. "Then I maybe played a little safe for a couple of holes. ... I had a good touch, hit a couple of good trick shots toward the end, and drove the ball very well, hit some amazing straight drives and long drives."

Langer won the 2010 tournament at Carnoustie and lost in a playoff last year at Royal Birkdale. He also led going into the final round at Turnberry in 2012, only to fade on the final day.

• Baseball

Recall McAllister: The Cleveland Indians recalled right-hander Zack McAllister from Triple-A Columbus on Saturday and started him against the Kansas City Royals.

McAllister went 3-5 with a 5.28 in 12 starts with the Indians. He began the season with Cleveland and went on the disabled list May 22 with lower back inflammation and was sent to Columbus after he was activated. He went 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA with the Clippers.

The Indians optioned right-hander Josh Tomlin, who gave up four runs on seven hits, including two home runs, in 51⁄3 innings in a Friday loss to the Royals to Columbus.

Cards get Pierzynski: The St. Louis Cardinals have signed veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

The Cardinals have been looking for a steady presence behind the plate since All-Star Yadier Molina went down with a torn ligament in his right thumb on July 9. Molina underwent surgery on July 11 and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks.

The left-handed hitting Pierzynski played 72 games this year with the Boston Red Sox, hitting .254 with four home runs before being released on July 16. He has a career average of .282 over 17 seasons with six teams.

Peavy to Giants: The San Francisco Giants boosted their rotation for the stretch run by acquiring right-hander Jake Peavy from the Boston Red Sox on Saturday for a pair of minor league pitchers.

Peavy (1-9, 4.72 ERA) has been hurt by poor run support this season, receiving two runs or fewer of support in each of his past eight starts. He is in the final season of a $29 million, two-year contract.

• Elsewhere

Love withdraws: Kevin Love has withdrawn from this summer's USA Basketball roster because of his uncertain NBA status, leaving the Americans without one of their most experienced international players.

Team USA announced the decision on Saturday. Love, who won gold medals at the 2012 Olympics and 2010 world championship and was one of the first players to commit to play this summer, told USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo that he would be unavailable for training camp that starts Monday.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are considering trading Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to acquire the three-time All-Star to pair with LeBron James. A trade could fall apart if Love were to play and be injured.

Penn St. hires AD: Penn State has hired Sandy Barbour as athletic director, a month after she stepped down as AD at the University of California-Berkeley.

The 54-year-old Barbour replaces David Joyner, who announced he was resigning last month. Joyner took over at Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and held the job for two and a half years.

Nibali set to win: Finally cracking broad smiles after weeks of no-nonsense racing, Vincenzo Nibali confirmed he will win the Tour de France after another impressive ride in a dramatic penultimate stage on Saturday.

Nibali all but ensured he will be crowned Tour champion for the first time thanks to winning the last mountain stage on Thursday. But a desire to leave nothing to chance, even with the biggest overall lead in 17 years, saw him push himself in the individual time trial for fourth place behind winner and German speedster Tony Martin.

Advance to final: Top-seeded Americans Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross won two matches Saturday to advance to the final Sunday in the World Series of Beach Volleyball.

Furyk up three: Jim Furyk moved into position for his third Canadian Open victory, shooting a 5-under 65 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead at Royal Montreal.

The 44-year-old Furyk, the 2006 winner at Hamilton and 2007 champion at Angus Glen, had a 15-under 195 total after opening with rounds of 67 and 63. He won the last of his 16 PGA Tour titles in 2010.

JoePa was unsure: Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno told his son the day after his firing that he hadn't informed the coaching staff about allegations Jerry Sandusky may be a child molester because he was unsure whether they were true, Jay Paterno writes in a new book.

In "Paterno Legacy: Enduring Lessons from the Life and Death of My Father," which hit the shelves at some central Pennsylvania bookstores this week, Jay Paterno writes that his father said he didn't want to accuse somebody of something he didn't witness or know to be true.